This afternoon the NHL revealed the roster for the 2012 All-Star Game in Ottawa and there are more than a few things that are noteworthy:

1) In addition to the four Senators players who were voted into the starting lineup by the fans, forward Colin Greening was selected as one of twelve rookies to participate in the event’s festivities.

2) Teemu Selanne and Niklas Lidstrom were not selected for the game. Cue the hysteria. (Note: Pierre Lebrun confirmed that Selanne informed his GM that he would politely decline the invitation if selected.)

3) Three former Senators — Chara, Hossa, and Brian Elliott — were selected for the game. Sorry fans, with Mikko Koivu representing the Minnesota Wild, there will be no Dany Heatley. Playing in an All-Star Game shouldn’t be a big adjustment for Elliott. I’m pretty sure that he’s used to giving up a lot of goals while playing behind a group that’s playing some terrible defensive hockey. I just hope for his sake that these stimuli don’t cause him breakdown and relapse. If anything, the Bruce Garrioch and Elliott reunion could prove to be the most entertaining subplot of the entire All-Star Game weekend.

4) Some influential hockey internet personalities like Greg Wyshynski were pushing for Alfredsson and Selanne to be the respective captains for the game. With Selanne declining to participate, finding an alternative should be interesting. For unintentional comedy purposes and to further the mystique of the Battle of Ontario, I hope that the league elects to name Kessel or Phaneuf instead.

5) Glad Capitals defenceman Dennis Wideman made the cut. Mind you, I’m in favor of anything that allows him him to relive this fantastic shootout effort:

Barring an injury, this is the roster that we can expect to see (note: I’ve bolded the names of the Senators and All-Star starters voted in):

The All-Star Fantasy Draft will take place at the Casino Lac Leamy on Thursday, January 26th at 8pm. The NHL Skills Competition takes place on Saturday, January 28th at 7pm and the All-Star Game itself takes place on Sunday, January 29th at 4pm.